10. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

The original inspiration for J.J. Abrams’ Super 8, Spielberg tugged at the heart strings of audiences all over the world. After inventing blockbusters, Indiana Jones and satirizing American reactions to Pearl Harbor in 1941, the world-famous director showed us the soft side of science fiction in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial between a boy and his extraterrestrial friend. The little boy, ET and an airborne bike in the moonlight is just another Spielbergism ingrained in pop culture.